


Of Cabbages And Kings

by Chanter



Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Bittersweet, Easy with languages in, Gen, Operation Market Garden, bilingual Joseph Ramirez, bilingual Tony Garcia, mentioned canon character death, mentioned canon events, passably bilingual David Kenyon Webster, passably bilingual Floyd Talbert, soldiers being elder siblingy, unexpected cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:34:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26058808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chanter/pseuds/Chanter
Summary: Bull's seen a lot of things he never thought he would, between Toccoa and now, but this one just plain never occurred to him as a possibility.
Relationships: Bull Randleman & Everyone, Bull Randleman & civilian character(s), Joseph Ramirez & civilian character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	Of Cabbages And Kings

Somewhere in a patch of time between that first night in Eindhoven and their relocation to Shoonderlogt, his squad collides with a cluster? bunch? gaggle? hell if he knows what to call 'em, but they're about six or seven Dutch kids all told, none of them older than round about twelve, and not a one of them with more than the simplest of English besides. Probably either orphaned or their folks let 'em run around half-wild, Bull guesses, and watching them tag after his boys - and himself, which shouldn't make him smile - like downy ducklings in raggedy clothes pretty much confirms both possibilities in his eyes. Grateful for Army rations. Clutching at scrounged socks like they're dolls and blankets. Running messages like professionals. Not flinching one bit when artillery goes off in the distance. And his squad--well. Half of them ain't hardly old enough to shave as is, and what with all the younger siblings and cousins they've got between them... 

Ramirez starts giving and getting names in earnest. "This is Tony, and this is Lester. Exactly--I mean ja, ja, Lester. And him? He's Bull--really, that's his name! Funny one, huh? Sorry, Sarge. I figure teachin' 'em to say Randleman is just a recipe for a mess, you know? My name is Joe--er, kinda like that, sure. ja. You're Annie? Annie. Anabel. You're Sepp. You're Erik. You, you're Mir--como se, uh, sorry, how d'you say that again? Your name? Mirjam? Miriam. Se llama Miriam." 

It's Hashey who quotes an honest to God Mother Goose rhyme while they're trying to pass the time. Garcia's the one who answers him with a version in Spanish. Somebody bugs Talbert until he comes over and cobbles up about a half a Dutch rendition before amiably tapping out, and the middle girl they've acquired giggles over dishes and spoons until she snorts. He'd have pegged Miller for the lad most likely to make Wonderland references, but that... ain't a thing that's going to happen no more. Heffron, of all people, goes there. 

If he ever thought he'd see a bunch of combat-ready soldiers trying and failing to say "whether pigs have wings" without laughing, well now. Webster turning red in the face while he's trying to explain is not helping anybody's composure one bit. Including Bull's own, dammit.

**Author's Note:**

> This started out with a prompt from Muccamukk. The intent was to write a summary of a fic that didn't yet exist, and I tried to stick to the idea, but then Bull started talking, and then Ramirez started being wistful and adorable, and then Talbert got drawn in, and... :)


End file.
